[UbuntuWomen] Gender and email [was: Free Ego :)

[Ireene-Sointu]

Obviously, gender is a part of our personality, and always will be even 
when we finally get a society where gender is not a deciding factor on 
issues that do not require it to be so. I think in our present society 
it is impossible to say how important it is to us as we, I think most of 
us anyway, have been brought up with it as a deciding factor. Our lives 
and relationships are many faceted and we interact differently with 
different people and in different situations. Our gender is one factor 
among many and will be declared as and when a situation and  a 
relationship so demands.  Our gender will always be an influence in our 
lives but I think it is not necessary and not always good to make it the 
factor of the most importance however fundamental it is to our 
personality. Particularly in the present society where we tend to be so 
divided and divisive it is more important to emphasize our common humanity.
 
I think an important thing on the way to getting a society where we all 
can freely, as freely as possible within the society of many different 
people,  develop to our full potential is to try and eliminate the 
aspects of forcing people to be what they clearly are not. I think one 
way to do that is to make gender specific areas not so very specific. 
That is allow girls to be loud and forceful and boys to be gentle and 
caring. Allow boys to wear flowery jumpers and girls to shave their 
hair. Allow girls to become computer experts and boys to cook meals at 
home and do all the cleaning. So people are free to choose their own way 
when all ways are open to them regardless of their gender. I do not 
think this is denying a person's gender, but actually opening up 
possibilities to be fully whatever the person is.


Christina Eater kirjoitti:
> I'm not sure about my opinion on the importance of knowing/disclosing
> gender on a mailing list, but I actually strongly disagree with this
> point:
>
> On Wed, Apr 30, 2008 at 10:03 AM, Danyelle Gragsone <ladynikon at gmail.com> wrote:
>   
>> I really do not think gender matters.   Unless you want a specific
>>  genders  opinion on something.  I have "lady" in my name because I
>>  kinda want people to know I am female.  But in the end .. it really
>>  doesn't matter greatly when just talking about a subject.
>>     
>
> I've always felt that gender, for better or worse, is a fundamental
> part of personality, which I think has been demonstrated time and
> again in cases of transgendered people and simply those who feel
> stunted or repressed by the need to ignore their gender. At least in
> America (well, in my personal experience of American life), gender and
> the way one has been encouraged to interact with the world as a result
> of gender are also fundamental to one's perspective on everyday
> topics, even those that don't directly relate to gender issues.
>
> Now, whether anyone else has the right to know that some of my
> opinions may stem from my upbringing or experiences as a female, I
> can't say. Does it weaken my position for that basis to be known?
> Perhaps. Is it relevant to understanding me and how I think?
> Absolutely. Should people I know only through a mailing list be privy
> to that sort of personal insight? I couldn't answer that question for
> anyone else.
>
>